String Easter Eggs

Introduction: String Easter Eggs

I made some string (yarn) eggs for Easter but they are a little different, they have little treats inside. I made several with small chocolate eggs in them. You can also place little toys or notes in as well, perfect for giving as gifts for Easter.

I also made a real looking egg with yolk using the same technique.

Step 1: What You Will Need:

Material:

Small water balloons (I was lucky to find balloons that were roughly the same size and shape as real eggs)

Crochet thread/ embroidery thread/ yarn/string etc.

Chocolate, small toys or trinkets to place inside eggs

Equal parts granulated sugar and water

Tools:

Pin, fine scissors and tweezers

Measuring cup, cooking pot, and spoon for stirring

Optional: pump for blowing up balloons

Step 2: Making the Sugar Mixture

The thread in this instructable is stiffened with sugar. This may not work for everyone. If you live in a humid climate or if you have little critters around (ants) this may not be for you. Another option would be liquid fabric starch (used here), or glue and water (used here).

To make the sugar mixture:

Measure equal parts granulated sugar and water and place in a cooking pot on the stove. I used a quarter cup of each which was more than enough. Best to use refined sugar, I only had organic sugar at home which wasn't a pure white which may have coloured the yarn a bit darker.

Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

When sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pour into a shallow container.

I was able to use this mixture over several days, just cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.

Step 3: Egg With Yolk: the Yolk

I thought it would be neat to make a white egg with yellow yolk inside. The yolk is also made from stiffened string I will show you how to make that first.

Partially inflate a balloon so that it is a quarter (or smaller) of the size of the fully inflated balloon, knot tightly.

Gather some yellow thread, they can be different shades.

Cover your work surface with newspaper as this can get quite messy

Dredge the threads through the sugar mixture and place onto the balloon.

Cover the entire balloon with the thread, criss-crossing the surface well.

Hang from a string (or rig up some other device) and place in a warm dry spot to dry.

Place newspaper underneath to catch any drippings also you may need to dab the bottom of the balloon as it dries.

Step 4: Egg With Yolk: the Yolk Continued

It should take roughly 24hr to dry. Make sure it is completely dry before you continue, the thread should be rigid.

Hold onto the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.

Gently extract the balloon, use small tweezers if necessary.

Step 5: Egg With Yolk: Egg White

Getting the yolk inside the balloon can be a bit tricky and it is important that the yolk is completely dry and the thread is rigid, I was a bit impatient with mine and the yolk was squished a little when it was put inside the balloon.

Stretch the opening of the balloon so that it is wide enough to accommodate the yolk and gently stuff it in, I was using cheap dollar store balloon so I went through a few before I finally got the yolk in.

Inflate the balloon.

Proceed to wrap the balloon with white thread as you did in step 3.

Hang to dry with newspaper underneath.

Step 6: Egg With Yolk: Egg White Continued

Once the egg has dried, approximately 24hrs later. Grab on to the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.

First you will need to extract the yolk from the balloon, tweezers and small scissors are helpful here. Be careful not to damage the yolk.

Once the yolk is out, proceed to remove the balloon from the egg.

Step 7: Chocolate Egg

I made some eggs with chocolate inside you can also place small toys in as well, these would be great as gifts. Of course your probably thinking to get them out you need to destroy the egg, true. If you don't want to do that you can place small decorative items or trinkets and leave them in permanently. You can also write little messages or names on craft foam and place inside the balloon.

To make these, the directions are essentially the same as the egg with yolk:

Stretch the opening of the balloon and stuff you chocolate or item inside, I was able to fit two small chocolate eggs. It is best to use solid chocolate (the hollow ones may get crushed) and don't use pointy toys or they will tear the balloon.

Inflate the balloon and tie the end tightly.

Proceed to wrap the balloon with sugared thread as in step 3. I choose thread to complement the colour of the chocolate wrappers.

Hang from a string and place in a warm (not too warm or you'll melt your chocolate) dry spot to dry.

Place newspaper underneath to catch any drippings also you may need to dab the bottom of the balloon as it dries.

Step 8: Chocolate Egg: When Dry

Once the egg has dried, approximately 24hrs later. Grab on to the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.

First you will need to extract the chocolate or other item from the balloon, tweezers and small scissors are helpful here.

Once the chocolate or other item is out, proceed to remove the balloon from the egg.

Won't work with the string yolk, but you can use water instead of air and freeze the balloon to have a firmer work surface, so you could make designs with the string. And you can freeze chocolate, so you could still put candy treats in the center for Easter.

will the glue harden as the ice melts in the balloon? Sounds like a good idea, I can't seem to wrap my string tight enough with an air balloon, not to mention I have always hated handling balloons ever since I was a child. Just curious if the glue or sugar water mixture will harden

As a thought, you might be able to use an edible substance like caramel or some candy that can be applied in strings that will dry hard. That would allow you to make the yolk edible too, or possibly have chocolate unwrapped in the middle. Another interesting idea would be to build up layers of edible strings with the chocolate center.

You need to saturate the string with the solution. If you wrap it in the string before saturating it, you will wind up with a sugar shell between the strings, and need a lot more sugar solution to cover the entire object.

this is another way blow up a ballon then pva some string to a ballon then pop the ballon and cut a hole in the string and you can decorate it with bunny ears,whisker,teeth and nose then put eggs in the mouth. (:

I love these! I made a egg before, but used a large balloon. It turned out great. I cut a hole in the egg on the side then filled the bottom with plastic grass, and used it as my daughter's Easter basket and put all of her candy and a few toys in it. I also spray painted it.

so brilliantly simple. a friend of mine had a similar idea but it involved wrapping the string around a ball of newspaper and when it hardens, painstakingly ripping and pulling out the paper bit by bit :D i give ger credit for creativity but this is much more frikkin simpler !

This may be a crazy idea, but what about blowing up the balloon, laying down the sugary string with a "window" in one side, letting it dry, popping the balloon, extracting the balloon, then filling the egg with chocolates or whatever, then adding more sugary string over the window?

I love the originality of this project. I have seen string put around eggs before dyeing but not to make an Egg by itself. I like this idea as they could be added to an Easter egg tree or other project.

Fantastic. I was considering tatting an Easter egg but didnt know if I wanted a shell on the inside. I think the balloon idea might help. I made a turtle medallion from tatting. This might be a way to display it.